Surprised by the hail of iron rushing past it, the Rahkshi of sleep turned its attention to Aurum and took a step forward, swinging its staff and sending more sleep energy flowing at Aurum.

Meanwhile Jarkale saw the iron pieces coming at him, ready to bury him in a metallic mess. Meanwhile Rerus had begun to approach the Rahkshi of slow. Rerus could save Jarkale from one of those threats, but not both. The other one would be left for Jarkale to deal with.

OOC: Giving you a choice, Toa of Awesomeness. Whatever Rerus doesn't protect Jarkale from (the Rahkshi or the iron) Jarkale will have to deal with by himself.

OOC: Hmmm... Tough choice...IC(Rerus)(Magaia):I see the lance about to run Jarkale through, and I deviate from my course to bring up a wall of solid stone from the ground, which the sharp iron lance embeds itself in. I pick up my mace from the ground, charge the Rahkshi, I'm within striking distance, I swing my mace

Jarkale had not expected anything less of Rerus. After all, he was certain that the Toa of Stone had been sent by Mata Nui himself. Even as he saved Jarkale from the iron, he swung his mace at the Rahkshi. The Rahkshi had been alerted by the stone wall, however, and turned in time to block the mace with its staff. The Rahkshi swung its own staff in an effort to knock off Rerus's mask, all the while sending some of its power of slowing down any opponent to rob Rerus of speed.

The Rahkshi of sleep fired at where he though Aurum was; but by then, the Toa of Iron was long gone. His lance was stabbed into a wall of stone; beside a Rahkshi fighting Rerus. Killing two birds with one stone, he pulled out the lance, recreated it's metal tip (The entire thing disappeared the moment he took hold of it) and, turning his body, he stabbed, hoping to pierce both Rerus and the Rahkshi from behind while they were too busy with each other.

OOC: Hooray for option C!IC(Rerus)(Mangaia):I can feel myself slowing down as I swing my mace a second time. Luckily, I don't really rely on speed as much as brute force. The Rahkshi blocks my attack, hissing loudly, obviously irritated. I fake a diagonal swing and deliver a hit right to the chest, causing it to let out an angry, screaming his.The Rahkshi charges me, and without my speed it knocks me down, and is seconds away from impaling my head with its staff, when a lance tip sprouts from its chest, and it gives a hiss of agony.

OOC: By the way, both Rahkshi have level 4 Kraata. So they're not at their maxed-up power but on a Toa-level.

IC Jarkale + RAHKSHI of sleep and slowness

(Mangaia):

The Rahkshi of sleep hissed in anger as its shady opponent disappeared. The Rahkshi had more acute senses than a Matoran, but even that wasn't enough to easily track a Volitak user. Well, it would've been fairly easy, if not for the other beings in the chamber causing general trouble.

The Rahkshi spotted Ignitus again, its original opponent. The Rahkshi leaped at Ignitus, about to hit him with its staff.

Meanwhile Jarkale could see the Rahkshi of slowness being pierced by the iron lance. He also noted how the Volitak Toa had disappeared again. Fearing the worst, he glanced around and spotted a shadow behind Rerus.

"Rerus, behind you!" Jarkale shouted. Speed restored since the Rahkshi of slowness was defeated, Jarkale then raced to catch the Kraata which was even now trying to escape the damaged Rahkshi armor.

IC(Ignitus)(Mangaia):I see the Rahkshi charging towards me, and dodge its staff. I suddenly realize something strange: the creature isn't giving off any body heat. But that would mean... it's completely mechanical. This gives me an idea. I reach down and grab its knee, letting white-hot heat flow through to the joint, and it melts. I pull all the heat out, and the joint hardens, unable to move now. The Rahkshi falls over, and I use a similar technique on the hands to keep them stuck to the ground. I then walk away as it hisses, deciding to come back to finish it off when all our other problems are dealt with.IC(Rerus)(Mangaia):I hear Jarkale's warning, and as fast as I can, rip my mace free from the Rahkshi's chest and swing it behind me.

The Rahkshi hissed in anger and pain. However, Ignitus left it alive. Obviously the Toa of Fire didn't know about Kraata or the fact that they needed no armor to use powers. The faceplate of the crippled Rahkshi opened, revealing a screeching Kraata that blasted Ignitus with its sleep power, effectively putting him to sleep. Then it proceeded to squirm in an effor to leave the Rahkshi armor, just like the Kraata of the other downed Rahkshi was doing.

[color=#8b4513;]The Lesterin had been hiding in the shadows for some while. Then, he charge out, activated his Calix, ran fast, and braced one of his axes. He brought it down on the Kraata in the Rahkshi suit.[/color]

"Oh, no not now!" Bok fought hard, but in the end he could not fight it. He had another flashback.

*Flashback*

A group of about fifty Toa was fighting about twice that many Rahkshi. They were in a confined space and it was chaos. And they were losing. Bok did his best to help in the battle using dual swords, but it was not enough. Eventually the surviving Toa retreated out some exits and onto a beach. About ten managed to make it to a boat. Bok was one of these ten. The Rahkshi boarded the boat and began to kill the remaining Toa.

*End Flashback*

"That didn't even help me!" Then Bok had an idea. The Matoran needed to get to safety, they didn't stand a chance. Bok ran towards the two Matoran, and reached to grab them. He was going to use his Kakama to get them to safety and them come back and help.

OOC: @ Canis Lupus: I think you may have missed a post. From the last page:

The Kurahk, meanwhile, had seen the two new arrivals and seized on the opportunity to turn them against each other. With the kraata quickly peeking out of the headplate, it bombarded Quon and Adil with waves of anger directed at each other. That had always been a Kurahk's best stratergy - make its enemies weaken each other and then finish off whichever one survived.

[color=rgb(0,0,255);]While JL could look up, he knew that as he stood up, he didn't enough traction on his hands and even still, the inertia wouldn't be on his side for this one.[/color]

[color=rgb(0,0,255);]Of course, he wasn't prepared to die, and, one leg planted on the ground, the other kneeling, he thrust out both of his hands. An electric shield appeared in the air, lapsing blue light illuminating the cavern. Even the Rahkshi was notibly affected by the sudden light, screeching in anger at the disruption to it's home environment. [/color]

[color=rgb(0,0,255);]The shards impacted into the lightning shield, and quickly disintegrated, melting. What got through was just red hot shards, a few of which hit JL, who grimaced, but kept the shield up.[/color]

IC (Kitano): Kitano smiled as JL grimmaced in pain - he had the other toa on the defensive, and if he kept on pushing long enough, something was going to get past his defence. He kept up the barrage of glass, now making the shards slightly thicker so that they wouldn't melt so easily, and those that did get through would be larger and cause more damage.

IC: Bok

Bok had so much adrenaline coursing through him, he could hardly feel his hand. He raised up his injured hand and absorbed the slug. Wait, that's it! He used his iron powers to reform the inorganic part of his hand that had been destroyed. He then sent a hail of metal spikes fying at Karemo.

IC (Karemo): Regenerating his armour wouldn't stop the venom's progress, in fact, it would only seal the corrosive poison inside his own arm, where it would continue to do its work. The Makakia venom hissed and bubbled underneath the new metal, still dissolving further into muscle and bone. Karemo, meanwhile, seized control of the metal spikes, since Bok had since moved on to aid someone else. He used the metal to repair some of the damage to the Rahkshi of sleep and slowness so that their kraata would be able to keep using the suits of armour.

[color=#0000ff;]More and more of the glass was getting through, JL realized, and he intensified the shield. Although he could keep it up, he didn't know if he could when there was the chance of superheated glass splattering his face. [/color]

[color=#0000ff;]I need the switch around who's attacking and who's defending. Where is he?[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]Straight in front. [/color]

[color=#0000ff;]JL grunted, then, with a mighty push against the air, used his control over his shield to manipulate the shape and form, sending it all of the energy that had been in the shield forwards as one, thick, bright blue bolt of lightning aimed at Kitano's face.[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]Immediately after the move, he fell on the ground, tired. He could still fight, but he didn't move, hoping that if there were any more glass shards flying over his head....hopefully they flew over it.[/color]

IC: KironThe Toa of Fire walked along the trail to the Kini. From there, he planned to take one of the Dark Walks.OOC: So, mad battle. Above or below ground?

OOC: Below, and deep. Very near to the vault. The battle should be winding up soon though.

IC (Kitano): Kitano could see that more and more of his weapons were striking his opponent, this foolish toa who had thought he could attack a son of Makuta with impunity. The sharp shards, now glowing with heat around the edges thanks to the lightning shield, cut into JL's body and broke, leaving small, sharp fargments embedded in armour and flesh. This toa would think twice before changing the remaining servants of the Makuta for a second time, and that was as it should be, he thought.

Then all the bright lightning of the shield condensed and surged firward towards him. It was all he could do to redirect the flow of elemental energy from attack to defense before the lightning threw him away down the tunnel. He created a large, thick mass of crystal in the air in from of him. The lightning slammed into it and created a huge blast inbetween the two toa, with light, heat, sound and flying crystal shards. Kitano's strong protosteel-and-diamond armour kept out most of the sharp hail, though one larger chunk slipped through under the ribs on his left side, causing him to hiss in pain and recoil from the clash of elements.

IC (Karemo): Karemo, on the other hand, was well protected from flying debris by his thicker armour (a protosteel blend of his own devising). The strong toa saw a possible opening and stepped around and through the fringes of the blast, where no-one should expect him to be. That was something Karemo always wanted for himself - to go where others wouldn't and to push through and difficulty to reach his goals. Where many other warrioors would back away from the blast, shield themselves and rebuild later up to a crushing blow, Karemo moved to strike while the iron was hot. The flash of light and sound was uncomfortable, but what was that compared to the rewards? He ignored that, because that wasn't the sort of thing he worried about. He was using his kadin to move quickly and accurately, but most importantly, to stay off the ground in order to give himself some protection from electric shocks. He raised his hammer high, even while forming two long spikes on its head, and brought it down with both his own strength, his flightpath and even extra acceleration from his iron powers to where JL lay prone on the ground.

IC: KironKiron entered the Dark Labyrinth of tunnels."######, forgot to bring a lightstone," he muttered. Th uonly illumination was from heatstines along thr walls.He walked for several minutes, in circles, up, down, and everywhere."Come on, there's got to be a passageway leading to..." Kiron stopped. Ahead and to the right, he could hearsounds of battle and shouts.Kiron did the sensible thing to do inside a series of tunnels leading to Mangaia. He headed for the battle.He turned a corner and was facetious face witham melee consisting of four Toa and two Rahkahi. As if that wasn't bad enough,som of the Toa were fighting each other.Kiron saw one of them heal a Rahkshi(Karemo) and thenwas assailed by a Toa of Lightning, then flew over to him, preparing to smash his face.Whoever heals a Rahkshi should be bad, so...Kiron's Scimitar was out in a second and he willed the lava beneath Karemo, just the small piece of ground so the Lightning Toa(JL) was not affected, to burst upwards in a concentrated stream, while running to him as well.

[color=#0000ff;]JL watched, prone. He'd seen the lava come upwards from Kiron towards Karemo, and for now he was safe as the lava slowly flowed downwards. His eyes were blurry, and his muscles sore.[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]*Tap tap*[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]"Hey."[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]JL sighed, smiling. Finally, some help! [/color]

Suddenly, he was yanked off the ground by an invisible force, and a strong kick was sent into his abdomen, or a punch. He wasn't sure. In any case, what he did know was that he was launched through the air and into Kiron.

'Leave,' Aurum said. 'I know who you are, JL, so leave.'

He walked silently towards Kitano, regrouping. After all, there was somewhere they had to go, but from his experience the two brothers would be protecting the Rahkshi rather than fighting for the fight. Better help now than be late later.

Jarkale ripped the Kraata out of the Rahkshi of slowness and held it in a tight grip. The Kraata squirmed, but could not use its powers in such a grip, which Jarkale thought to use to his advantage later. For now, he turned and spotted some other beings nearby, also battling for some reason. The Volitak Toa had attacked them as well. It seemed he was against everyone in this cavern.

Jarkale leaped off the empty Rahkshi armor and raced near to the other combatants. "Work with me here, slub, or I'll twist your neck", Jarkale told the Kraata in his hand. It didn't understand, of course, but was forced to obey the Po-Matoran as long as its life was in his hands - literally.

Jarkale knelt beside JL, when he saw movement. The Volitak Toa! Jarkale held out the Kraata and released his grip slightly, causing the creature to desperatly launch its slowness power forward, striking the Toa and slowing him down. Hopefully it would be enough to get this fallen Toa of Electricity on his feet.

IC: KironKiron saw the lava gush upwards, then heard the Lightning Toa mumble his thanks, then he was flung forward to Kiron--ouch. Kiron pushed himself off the ground. He was lying beside a fallen Toa of Lightning, and a Matoran of Stone was asking him to help. Kiron was still groggy from getting knocked down, but he still gathered enough of his wits to say, "How can I as-assist y-you?"

OOC: .....What??You can't just un-auto-hit an auto-hit I auto-hit myself with, and then auto-hit me. Oh well. If Jarkale is beside JL, then he's nowhere near Aurum. Lorax, you got this

IC: Aurum

Movement in Jarkale's eyes didn't matter; he was next to the downed JL, who, in turn, was quite a bit away from Aurum after having been launched from a combined metal thrust and punch. The Kraata squealed, but it's attack of slowness, which had already been severely weakened without it's armor and staff, wouldn't even have reached Aurum if the attack was even accurately aimed at him.

The one issue Aurum had now was that Jarkale held in his hand the ability to stop 2 fighters - that, or ensure his own death wish. Hoping for neither, Aurum, still invisible from his Volitak, focused his elemental power. This time, it was on the joints of Jarkale's wrists, fingers, elbow's and shoulders. Nothing too serious, but the pressure that his arms held against the Kraata weakened.....

And in a second, Aurum bore down on him, invisible in the dark, and reached out with a hand to gently push the Kraata out of his grip.

"I woke up in the desert with no memories too! But as much as I love small talk, I could use a little help."

IC: Tafu

"Anytime! I'm afraid I might not be much help to you, though. All my friends say I don't really have any talent. But I'll try, if you really need something" Tafu said exasperatedly.He was worried the reply came to late, as the toa* seemed to be occupied with other than a conversation with a Matoran. He could see other figures through the toa's legs. One was a matoran, he was sure of it, as that was who he had directed before.

OOC: *Your character is a toa, right? Apologies if this reply is a bit late. Let me know if it conflicts with anything.

OOC: Psst! Hey! Mairanui! Did you know that when a person is occupied fighting something that may or may not be 3 or more times his own power, they usually can't enjoy the leisure of a nice, long chat?Just putting it out there!And yeah, you undid my attack against myself, removing mention of it in your post. It's fine, though.

IC(Ignitus)(Mangaia):Uhhh...What happened?I wake up, wondering how the Rahkshi used its powers when it was melted to the floor.I see Jarkale nearby, seemingly talking to thin air, holding a squirming... something in his hand. I run over."What'd I miss?" I ask as I draw my sword.

[color=#0000ff;]Suddenly, he was yanked off the ground by an invisible force, and a strong kick was sent into his abdomen, or a punch. He wasn't sure. In any case, what he did know was that he was launched through air and into Kiron.[/color] 'Leave,' Aurum said. 'I know who you are, JL, so leave.'later.

OOC: Launced into the air towards Kiron. Yup. No auto-hit, then?IC: KironThe Toa of Fire was still stunned. He heard the Matoran talking with...thin air?Ouch, that must have been a hard impact.

IC(Ignitus)(Mangaia):Hearing the voice coming from thin air startles me slightly, though it probably shouldn't at this point. I hold my sword in one hand, a large flame comes from the other, and I'm in a stance to fight... whoever's talking if need be."Disrupting their homes?" I say. "Since I wandered in, all I've done is dodge some Rahkshi, tackle someone else from outside, almost been killed multiple times by who I'll assume was you, and melted a robot, something that's not even alive, to the ground in order to defend myself. And then I got knocked out. Where in there did I disturb any living creature's home?"OOC: Yes, I know Rahkshi aren't completely mechanical, I know about Kraata, but Ignitus woke up with no memory around six-twelve hours ago(by my estimation)and is just going by what he sees around him.

IC(Ignitus)(Mangaia):"Um, did you listen to any of what I just said? I entered PEACEFULLY and got attacked. I didn't start any fights, I defended myself, and didn't even harm anyone or anything besides one Rahkshi, which, again, is a ROBOT, NOT a living being."

IC (Karemo, Kitano, and Rahkshi): "That is true, Aurum" Karemo added in his deep, rumbling voice. "The children of Makuta deserve repsect, and those who think to attack them must be taught the error of their ways. This has happened today". He put the boot into JL where he lay, just to illustrate his point. It wasn't a terribly hard kick, as he would have given if they were still fighting - more for show than anything.

"We have places to be, so your lives will be spared, this time. Leave this place now, and disturn the Rahkshi no more. Mangaia is a place higher than all of you, and you desecrate it by entering while unworthy. We have other places to be, so consider yourselves fortunate."

He raised his arms, and metal sprang into existence in front of him. In only a second, a wall had erupted into the tunnel with Aurum, the Rahkshi, Karemo and Kitano on one side and everyone else on the other. It grew thicker until it had reached a full quarter bio of protosteel right across the tunnel. On his side, Kitano added a similar layer of diamond, while Aurum completed the barricade with another layer of protosteel. Such a construct would take a long time to break down and by then, the dark toa and Rahkshi would be long gone. The five of them set out quickly, with Aurum carrying the desuited kraata, and were quickly lost to the maze of shadows and stone passageways. The Rahkshi saw that they were being rescued, so did not attack the three toa, all of whom had once been servants of their father. Eventually, they went their separate ways, returning to their dens of shadow to haunt the darkness another day, leaving the three toa alone. They had all heard the message, and wordlessly turned to go, enterring a Dark Walk leading north.

OOC: This was just getting too chaotic with people contradicitng each other and things not making sense. The Makuta-aligned characters are needed elsewhere, so I had to end it. JLv2 was also in on the plan, and gave permission for Aurum's participation.

OOC: Which side of the wall is the Vault door on? EDIT: It's on ours, never mind.IC(Ignitus)(Mangaia):I look around, trying to find what few beings I know yet. Let's see, Jarkale, right beside me. Bok, over near Tafu. Rerus, where in Karzahni is Rerus? I see a brown and gray-armored arm sticking out from under a Rahkshi that wasn't moving any more. I run over as he pushes the mechanical carcass off of himself."You alright? I ask.IC(Rerus)(Mangaia):I give my new companion a grin. "Except a little cut in my knee, just fine. You?"IC(Ignitus)(Mangaia):Rerus gets to his feet, and I notice a slight limp. I'll have to take a look at that later. "Perfect. Not a scratch, surprisingly." I turn to everyone in the room. "So, anyone know who that one Toa of Iron was? Seemed a little, y'know, dark and murderous for the average Toa."

[color=#0000ff;]'His name's Aurum. He used to serve in Makuta's army. He's dark, but he doesn't go around killing people. Be grateful they decided to leave; it was an utter fluke that we managed to survive.'[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]Slowly, he picked himself, wincing now that the battle was over and the adrenaline was retreating.[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]'Well, that sucked. We'd better go as well. The wall will over time be demolished naturally by the Rahkshi's renovations, but right now we're still prey in the dark. If they blocked off the easiest way to the Dark Walk, our best bet is to go up......meaning, to Le-Wahi then. I hear they've got good healers too.....Bok, me and whoever else, we should go.'[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]Then he turned to address the Toa he was, in a way, lying on.[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]'Hey. I remember you from months before, but I don't think we've ever actually had the pleasure of meeting. Now, if you could lend some support, lets all go to the village in the leaves.'[/color]

IC(Ignitus)(Mangaia):I'm not sure what to say, having no idea about the island or its history, but thankfully Rerus speaks up."Um, can somebody give me who Makuta is, history of the island, any information at all, really? I've got no memory of anything before waking up in a crater in the desert, and from what I understand, Ignitus has a similar problem."I nod. "Woke up on a beach near a volcano somewhere."

IC: [color=#0000ff;]JL[/color] [color=#0000ff;]Then he turned to address the Toa he was, in a way, lying on.[/color] [color=#0000ff;]'Hey. I remember you from months before, but I don't think we've ever actually had the pleasure of meeting. Now, if you could lend some support, lets all go to the village in the leaves.'[/color]

With all these Toa, Jarkale believes more than ever that they're destined to be a team and do something really important.

IC Jarkale

(Mangaia):

"I thought the Toa Maru took care of that kind of scum...", Jarkale muttered as he got up. He took a look around him and saw five Toa present, as well as one of his fellow villagers. He was excited. After all, there had to be a reason why these five had just met here, at the heart of darkness. Even more, he had heard Bok mention something about having amnesia as well, as did Rerus and Ignitus. It was all too much to be a coincidence. This group, Jarkale decided, had to be some heroic group sent by Mata Nui to fight off evil, maybe even open the vault, or otherwise do something important. He was standing in the middle of history being written.

"I feel safe now", he said with a smile.

OOC: Le-Wahi? What is it with ALL my characters ending up in the same place? Already got 5 characters there...

[color=#0000ff;]Slowly leading the group towards the Suva Nui entrance and exit, JL used his own experience of the past to explain the story to all the amnesiac's and refresh the mind of those who might've remembered.[/color]

[color=#696969;]'A long time ago, the first Toa arrived. Each of them had the power of each Koro's natural element. Tahu. Gali. Onua. Pohatu. Lewa. Kopaka. They arrived on the planet, with no memory, and in capsules. During that time, the matoran were at war with Rahi, controlled by the Makuta.'[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]Nobody responded.[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]'The Toa, after gaining more powers, descended into the same place we now stand, and began a fight with the Makuta. They never returned, and people believed them dead. So for a time, our war with the Rahi continued.'[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]And then came the parts he was there for.[/color]

[color=#696969;]'One day, rumors of the chronicler's company, who were there at the fall of the first Toa, having clues about the defeat of Makuta, spread. Many Toa and Matoran asked them, and each of them gave a clue that could be pieced together. One of these matoran was Stannis. However, they weren't the only ones out for the clues - Makuta's minions went to silence them. I was there when the first member of the chronicler's company died - Two Toa, one the vicious Vidar who apparently disappeared when the Makuta fell, and the other Echelon, a gigantic prick who controls the dead and the bodies of the living. He's still around, and I'd love to stab him in the face. Control him with magnetism, let him have a taste of his own medicine.'[/color]

[color=#0000ff;]He waited as he walked, wondering if there were any questions. It was lucky that he was part of the group; he knew this place well. [/color]

IC: KironKiron followed along. It dawned on him that the Toa Mata could very well have traversed these tunnels before... well, before they were defeated.JL stopped talking. He was probably waiting for any questions."That Volitak Toa, Aurum. How is he connected to Echelon?" Kiron asked. He had a weird, nagging feeling.

[color=rgb(105,105,105);]'Echelon killed Tamaru. It wasn't hard to figure out they were targeting the chronicler's company, and soon they were all either dead or in high security. If I'm correct, Echelon, Vidar, Aurum, along with another Toa named Ronkshou participated in killing Hafu.....or worse.'[/color]

[color=rgb(0,0,255);]He turned a corner.[/color]

[color=rgb(105,105,105);]'Soon, Stannis managed to gather all the clues, and also somehow met Takua himself, who we though dead. Through Takua, they learned they needed to find essence stones that he had hidden - rocks that contained the pure energy of the original Toa Mata. And so, his team worked, and together they found them. Together, they transformed into the Toa Maru - with powers far stronger than any normal Toa.'[/color]